As with all types of manufactured goods, electronic systems can fail. In particular, a circuit card of an electronic system may fail if an electrical component, such as an IC or resistor, on the circuit card fails. The electrical component may fail if the circuit card is exposed to environmental conditions which exceed the normal operating parameters of the circuit card. For example, the electrical component may fail if it is exposed to an excessive voltage, an electrostatic discharge, or excessive heat. Further, even simply powering and operating the circuit card causes wear and ageing of the electrical component.
In a larger electronic system, such as a communication switch, functionality for the system is provided in several circuit cards. As noted above, any one of the circuit cards may fail when the system is in use. Typically, the circuit cards may be replaced in the field at the installation location of the system. A circuit card may fail after the system has been operating for a period of time or even on the initial use of the circuit card in the system. In the latter failure, the circuit card is essentially “dead on arrival”.
For communication switches, a switch vendor may provide a replacement circuit card to the switch owner when a circuit card is dead on arrival. In many circumstances, however, a faulty circuit card will only be replaced if the faulty card is a new, unused circuit card. Circuit cards which fail after they are installed and utilised are usually covered by a warranty and repair policy. It will be appreciated that for large circuit cards; the costs to replace a faulty circuit card may greatly exceed the costs to repair a faulty circuit card. In order to determine whether the repair obligations of the switch vendor are to replace the circuit card or repair the circuit card, it would be necessary to determine if the faulty circuit card is new and unused or not new.
Provisions exist to track some date aspects of a circuit card. For example, the date of manufacture of a circuit card is normally recorded or associated with a manufacturing serial number imprinted onto the card. However, a serial number does not indicate whether the circuit card was installed and utilised or whether the circuit card was not used and simply sat on a shelf as a spare as in a product distribution center or at a customer site.
Accordingly, there is a need for a system and method for tracking the utilization of circuit cards, when installed and operating in a system.